2013 Hockenheim I
The opening round of the 2013 DTM Championship was the , held at the home of the DTM Championship, Hockenheim.'2013 DTM calendar', gpupdate.net, (JHED Media B.V., 2013), http://www.gpupdate.net/en/calendar/189/2013-dtm-calendar/, (Accessed 26/10/2015) The race was the first since 1990 to start with a BMW driver defending their crown, with Bruno Spengler wielding #1 on his car. Former Champion Timo Scheider claimed the first pole position of the season, although he fell short in the race as Augusto Farfus swept to a second career victory. Dirk Werner secured a best ever finish of second in the race, ahead of Christian Vietoris, while Scheider ended the day in sixth to be the best placed Audi driver. Background Excitement was building ahead of the fourteenth DTM Championship since its reincarnation, with many tipping BMW to retain their 2012 crowns. Their success had seen them build two more BMW M3 DTMs for the new season, while retaining all six of their original drivers. Joining their roster were their main test driver Marco Wittmann, whose testing record meant he had earned a drive in the series, and ex-Formula One racer Timo Glock, with both joining the new Team MTEK outfit.'BMW MOTORSPORT ANNOUNCES DRIVER/TEAM PAIRINGS FOR 2013',dtm.com, (ITR e.V., 05/02/2013), http://www.dtm.com/en/news/bmw-motorsport-announces-driverteam-pairings-2013-2013-02-05.html, (Accessed 26/10/2015) Mercedes, meanwhile, opted to down scale their involvement in the Championship, having lost customer team Persson Motorsport over the winter. They were left to fight 2013 with six cars, and only one old hand in Gary Paffett, having seen four experienced drivers leave the Stuttgart outfit.'Mercedes-Benz Contests 2013 DTM Season', blog.mercedes-benzretailgroup.co.uk, (Mercedes Benz Retail Group, 19/03/2013), http://blog.mercedes-benzretailgroup.co.uk/dtm-2013/, (Accessed 26/10/2015) They lost Ralf Schumacher, Susie Wolff and David Coulthard, all of whom left the series, while Jamie Green joined bitter rivals Audi after eight seasons with the three pointed star. Green, for his part, filled the only vacant seat at Audi, who fielded seven of their 2012 drivers, having seen Rahel Frey move to their Endurance Programme.'World Premiere in Geneva: Audi RS 5 DTM', audi-motorsport.com, (Audi AG, 05/03/2013), https://www.audi-motorsport.info/v2/public/en/2012/press-release/single/id/6925, (Accessed 26/10/2015) That left two unfilled seats with and Mercedes, with the Schumacher advised outfit signing two promising youngsters. Formula 3 Euro Series Champion Daniel Juncadella joined the team in February, before being joined by title rival Pascal Wehrlein, who at the age of 18 years and 118 days would start the first race of 2013 as the youngest ever DTM driver. Away from the driver changes, there were also big changes for the series, announced and tested by the DMSB over the winter.Jamie O'Leary, 'DTM introduces F1-style DRS and option tyres to spice up races', autosport.com, (Haymarket Media, 09/04/2013), http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/106609, (Accessed 27/10/2015) Adopted from F1, the Drag Reduction System was implemented in the DTM for the first time at Hockenheim, with drivers allowed to use it in a designated zone when they were within two seconds of the car ahead. The DRS system allowed an increased top speed of around 5 km/h by tipping the rear wing by 15°. Another change was the introduction of Hankook as the official tyre supplier for the Championship, which was thought to have improved lap times by a second. Their adoption also included another F1 innovation, with the use of softer, "option" tyres compulsory during each race. The soft tyres were up to three seconds a lap faster, but at the cost higher degradation in race conditions, while also having their running time limited to half the race distance. Several minor changes also saw a slight minimum weight increase to 1,100 kg, designed to counter the ever improving aerodynamic innovations. The pit window was also effectively scrapped in 2013, with cars now able to stop at any time bar the first and final three laps. Only one compulsory stop was required from each driver, allowing more focus on the racing. Entries Below is the entry list for the : Qualifying A wet Saturday afternoon at the Hockenheimring played host to the first DTM qualifying session of the season, although the track temperature started at 30 .'TIMO SCHEIDER CLAIMS POLE POSITION AT HOCKENHEIM', dtm.com, (ITR e.V., 04/05/2013), http://www.dtm.com/en/news/timo-scheider-claims-pole-position-hockenheim-2013-05-04.html, (Accessed 13/12/2015) The rain, however, faded as qualifying approached and allowed the times to fall consistently throughout the session. Q1 Augusto Farfus graced the circuit first as the first session went green, with all 22 drivers setting times early on. Farfus emerged as the fastest after the opening bout, while Roberto Merhi slid wide in the Motodrom section, damaging the rear right bodywork of his Mercedes. At the half-way point of the 15 minute session, led the field, just edging out Farfus as the rain stopped completely. The second half of the session saw top spot switch almost every time a driver completed a lap, meaning that the last man across the line would ultimately get the best lap from the session. That man proved to be Farfus, as he swept across the line to set the fastest time of the session with the last lap of Q1, as six drivers dropped out. Out were Andy Priaulx, Marco Wittmann and Dirk Werner (BMW), Miguel Molina and Edoardo Mortara (Audi), and the damaged car of Merhi. Q2 The 11 minute second session opened with Farfus once again leaving the pits first, immediately setting the fastest lap of the entire qualifying session to that point. Much like the first session, almost every lap saw a new face at the top of the standings, leaving Pascal Wehrlein to complete his last lap to set the fastest time so far. Eight drivers were put out of qualifying at this stage, from Daniel Juncadella in ninth through to Filipe Albuquerque in sixteenth. Joining them were Joey Hand, Martin Tomczyk and Timo Glock (all BMW) and a trio of Audis in Jamie Green, Adrien Tambay and Mike Rockenfeller. Q3 Like Q2, Q3 would last for 11 minutes, with the best four cars heading through to the Shootout for Pole Position. Gary Paffett beat Farfus out of the pitlane to set the first time of the session, as times tumbled from Q2, with all of the drivers finding seven seconds or more on their previous attempts. Out went , Paffett, defending Champion Bruno Spengler and Q2 pace setter Wehrlein, as four went through to fight for pole. Pole Shootout The Pole Shootout followed a different format, with each driver getting one shot at an empty track to set the fastest possible time they could. Robert Wickens went first, only to have his time ruled out for leaving the track, although his time was immediately beaten by Farfus. Out next was Timo Scheider, who found a tenth on Farfus to top the session, leaving Christian Vietoris as the only man who could beat him. Unfortunately for the Mercedes Junior Driver, a small mistake early in his lap cost him time to leave him as the best Mercedes driver in third, with former double Champion Scheider on pole. Post-Qualifying The full qualifying results for the are shown below: ** Wickens had his time from the shoot out session excluded, meaning he would start below Ekstrom. *† Merhi and Wittmann were penalised ten places each after qualifying for a breach of parc-fermé regulations.'WITTMANN AND MERHI DROPPED ON THE GRID', dtm.com, (ITR e.V., 05/05/2015), http://www.dtm.com/en/news/wittmann-and-merhi-dropped-grid-2013-05-05.html, (Accessed 27/10/2015) Race Dry and relatively warm, Sunday afternoon promised much excitement as the DTM grid formed for the first race of the new season. 87,000 people were sat around the Hockenheimring awaiting the new season, along with the new innovations of DRS and the "option" tyre rule, both of which were debuting in Hockenheim. Drivers had to nominate a start tyre compound after qualifying, and had to swap to the opposite compound during one of their mandatory pitstops. Report A clean start for Timo Scheider saw him pull clear of Augusto Farfus into the first corner, as Gary Paffett made it three abrest with and Christian Vietoris.'A 1-2 FOR BMW IN HOCKENHEIM SEASON OPENER', dtm.com, (ITR e.V., 05/05/2013), http://www.dtm.com/en/news/1-2-bmw-hockenheim-season-opener-2013-05-05.html, (Accessed 13/12/2015) Joey Hand sent cars scattering across the track in the midfield after having an issue at the start, leaving him to fall to the very back of the field, although it was lucky his non-moving car was not collected by those behind. Miguel Molina picked up minor damage further round the opening lap, as Scheider settled into the lead of the race, ahead of Farfus and Robert Wickens. Lap two saw the "prime" shod cars begin to slip down the order, Paffett the best placed of those drivers in sixth for the time being. Martin Tomczyk was one of those on the move, pouncing on Ekstrom into the hairpin with his superior grip, only to be pulled back by the DMSB a lap later. Tomczyk and Adrien Tambay were both deemed to have jumped the start, meaning they would have to serve drive-through penalties, meaning both fell to the back of the field, as Scheider and Farfus pulled a small gap in their fight for the lead. DRS became active on lap four as Marco Wittmann and Filipe Albuquerque completed their first stops. On track, meanwhile, there was movement at the front as Bruno Spengler passed Wickens through the Parabolika to take third, becoming the first man in DTM history to complete a DRS assisted pass. Pascal Wehrlein was also shifting, using his soft tyres and the new DRS system to climb into the top five on his debut, with Paffett still sat in sixth despite using harder tyres. Farfus and Scheider, meanwhile, were getting ever closer and by lap five the Brazilian forced his way into the lead, darting on the brakes a fraction later than the German into the hairpin. Moments later the car of Adrien Tambay burst into flames coming into the stadium section, the Frenchman quickly finding a marshal's post and pulling his car off the circuit. Wickens, then, suffered a failure coming down to the hairpin, his engine cutting out and putting him out of the race. That left the Canadian stranded on the outside of the hairpin, and with Tambay's car still smoldering at the edge of the circuit, the safety car was called five laps into the new season. Organised chaos hit the pit lane as all bar two of the top ten entered the pits for the first time, Scheider and Wehrlein opting to stay out. Scheider swept in a lap later leaving Wehrlein in the lead of his first DTM race, albeit under the safety car. After the stops, Wehrlein led from Farfus, Timo Glock and Daniel Juncadella, although the latter two, like Wehrlein, had not stopped during the safety car period. Racing resumed on lap ten, with Albuquerque slapped with a penalty for speeding in the pits. Contact further back, meanwhile, dislodged the bonnet of Ekstrom's car, leaving it to fly off the car through Parabolika. ''Shortly afterwards, the Swede made a mistake into the ''Mercedes section, lacking the front downforce provided by the aero trim on the front of the car, meaning he slid into the back of Edoardo Mortara, pushing his stablemate into a spin. That put Ekstrom under investigation, as he brought his car into the pits for a new set of front bodywork. Constant chopping and changing of the order followed the restart, with Glock running wide through the Sachskurve to drop from third to seventh, the German stopping a lap later. That would also prove costly for him, as the rear right wheel freshly fitted to his car came off at turn two, putting him out of his debut race. Wittmann and Roberto Merhi were working through the back of the field together as Glock's dramas went on, claiming four places between them in the space of two laps, as Wehrlein led from Juncadella, whom had forced his way past Farfus just after Glock's excursion. Paffett and Vietoris were the next drivers to move up the order, both making their way past Farfus to make it a Mercedes 1-2-3-4 at the halfway mark. Mortara dragged his car into the pits to retire at that point, numerous clashes causing an ever increasing amount of damage to his car. This point signalled the start of a new wave of stops, the majority of the field trickling in for their second stops to attack the final half of the race. Wehrlein and Juncadella also stopped during this time, as the order shifted once again. Dirk Werner had started at the back of the field, but as chaos emerged ahead of him the German had quietly risen to sixteenth in the opening stages. A well timed stop as the rest of the field completed their second stops left him running in a clear second place, running just behind Vietoris for the lead. Just before Werner lauched his bid for the lead, Ekstrom's race ended with the Swede hitting the barrier all on his own. Werner made a clean move past Vietoris for the lead into the hairpin with the youngster stopping that lap. Werner now led with nine laps to go, but had to make a second stop and was the only man in the top ten who needed to do so. Farfus sat in second and seemed favourite to win the race, the main question being where Werner would emerge after his stop, be it in second or further back in the gaggle of cars seperated by five seconds. All was told with four laps to go, Werner swinging into the pits as Farfus darted into the lead. A good stop saw the German spat back into the race ahead of Paffett and Vietoris, with the latter quickly making a move on the Brit for third. Werner set off after Farfus for the lead, but the Brazilian had time on his side, while, further back, Jamie Green was forced to complete a drive through penalty. Time would ultimately run out for Werner, however, leaving Farfus to sweep home to his second DTM victory, ahead of a visibly delighted Werner. Vietoris fended off a late challenge from Paffett to secure third, leaving Scheider in sixth as the best of the Audis and behind defending Champion Spengler. Results The second race final result is displayed below: * Indicates a driver who started on the soft or "option" tyres. Indicates a driver who started on hard or "prime" tyres.'TYRE CHOICE: THE DECISIONS HAVE BEEN MADE', dtm.com, (ITR e.V., 04/05/2013), http://www.dtm.com/en/news/tyre-choice-decisions-have-been-made-2013-05-04.html, (Accessed 27/10/2015) Milestones * Début race for Marco Wittmann, Pascal Wehrlein, Daniel Juncadella and Timo Glock. ** First points for Wittmann. *First and only podium for Dirk Werner. Standings Brazilian Augusto Farfus' second win meant he left the opening round of the Championship as the leader, ahead of a surprise Dirk Werner. Christian Vietoris' best ever finish also meant he was in a shock top three slot, while Timo Scheider led the Audi charge from sixth. Despite the fact the Championship was but one race old, many were tipping BMW to go on to complete another clean sweep. The Teams' Championship left Hockenheim with BMW Team RBM in the lead, Farfus' win and Joey Hand's points finish meaning they were ahead of Team Schnitzer. Next up were the two HWA outfits, before the first of the Audi equipped teams in Team Abt. It was a similar story in the Brands' Championship, as BMW built an early lead over Mercedes, leaving Audi in third. Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown. References Videos and Images: * References: Category:Hockenheim Category:2013 Races Category:Races